By Alex Chrisman
In the 73 years before it was discovered in the deep ocean, the Royal Mail Ship Titanic sat in abject darkness in the mud, quiet and alone, illuminated only by passing bioluminescent creatures that share her watery home. The dark can’t be overstated; at over 12,000 feet deep, the wreck hadn’t seen the sun since mid-April 1912.
In 1985, the Titanic was discovered by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michel, leaders of American and French teams, respectively. Since that time, well documented dives have pierced the black and shed literal light on her solemn remains. Remotly operated vehicles have desended the once opulent Grand Staircase of Leonardo Dicaprio fame. Brave submariners have braved the deep and nearly gotten trapped under her giant propellers. Tragically, she claimed another 5 victims when the macgyvered Oceangate Titan submarine imploded in 2023 while descending for a visit. Many of the mysteries surrounding the ship were brought to light by this long list of explorers and their robotic sidekicks, including:
- The ship was in two large pieces, the bow and the stern, separated by just under 2,000 feet. Eyewitness reports from the night of the sinking stated she went down whole. This turned out not to be true.
- The iceberg damage stretched over almost 300 feet of the hull as opposed to being a gaping hole as some surmised.
- The ship is covered in rust eating bacteria that are consuming the metal structure of the ship. It was thought before 1985 that she would be well preserved, like ships lost in the Great Lakes, where the deep fresh water inhibits decay. Because of these bacteria, many parts of the wreck have degraded and one day only more durable components such as the aforementioned bronze propellers will remain.
- The four funnels are not attached to the ship, having fallen off and mostly wasted away.
- Only slight hints of human remains are present, under a raincoat in one case and perhaps inside of disembodied shoes lying in the abyssal plain that hosts the large debris field near the ship.
These and many other fascinating details have been revealed over the decades. However, as public interest in the ship endures, mysteries remain:
- Was there another ship that could have helped on the night of April 14, 1912 after she struck the fatal berg? In addition to the infamous Californian, which literally slept through her rescue, some claim an illegal poaching vessel was nearby and refused to help to avoid detection. Historians tend not to put much stock into this theory, which stems from an officer of the ship, the Samson, claiming he saw rockets that fateful night from a stricken liner.
- One of the spaces more likely to resemble it’s original shape in 2024 is the swimming pool, located deep within the ship. The adjacent Turkish bath, with its distinctive tile, is right next door to the pool. Unfortunately, access to the pool is blocked by a closed watertight door. If another way could be found to enter, it would likely be quite the sight. The pool, no doubt, would be filled with water.
- The Squash Court, mentioned frequently in accounts of the sinking, has never been explored, again due to a lack of ingress. This was a racquetball-esq game available to passengers for a fee of 50 cents per half hour, a somewhat princely sum in 1912.
- The areas under the mud outside the ship might very well hide red anti-fouling paint. Paint is present on the wreck, but not in abundance and not free of rust. The mud may protect the lower portions of the hull allowing the red paint to stand out.
- The boiler rooms at the bottom of the vessel are largely unexplored.
- Finally, much of the stern hasn’t been explored, owing to its destruction from likely implosion during the roughly seven minute trip to the bottom.
As the ship decays, more of these spaces may become accessible. However, they would also be less stable. Perhaps the key to further exploration would involve more affordable remotely operated vehicles so losing one wouldn’t be so financially painful.
James Cameron, who has explored the ship more extensively than perhaps anyone else, chose an appropriate song to score his Ghosts of the Abyss documentary in 2003. It’s called “Darkness, Darkness” by the Youngbloods. It sets the mood when considering the ship as she is today in your minds eye. (I was going to quote the lyrics, but apparently that is verboten due to copyright law). Better yet, the documentary is worth a watch and reveals his interest in the doomed liner goes far beyond the box office.
As you read this, the Titanic sits. Once the pride of Belfast, she rests alone. She hides her mysteries well, and as five curious explorers recently learned in one brutal crushing instant, the sea has a long memory and doesn’t easily forgive.
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